Brower Club

I have yet to actually buy something from Brower Club, but I love taking a quick glance inside and shoot the shit with the employees. The one thing this town was desperately missing was a decent independent men’s clothing store and Brower Club fills that void. They do it right with providing local companies as well as having the shop small vibe. All the employees are cool and easy to talk to about the clothing, the prices, and the fit. I’ve contemplated doing their Brower Box, which provides you with a box of clothing goodies once a month for different prices, but haven’t made the jump yet. When I actually grow a pair and decide to buy a pair of selvedge jeans, this is where I’m going to make that purchase. If you’re in town and need some clothes, skip the trek to NYC and hit Brower first. You’d be surprised by what you find.

One of my secret (well, now not so secret) dreams is to open a store for men, full of edgy meets preppy clothes, fresh smelling fragrance products, seasonal items like Tommy Bahama swimwear for the summer, various leather trinkets such as padfolios, perhaps some bold watches, and other manly items such as items with sexy pin-​up girls on them. While walking back to the PATH a couple weekends back, I insisted we make a detour at Brower Club. It was the closest thing imaginable to the store I have envisioned owning. Until I can make that a reality, I am more than happy to shop at this boutique!
I had just intended to take a peek at the offerings in the store, and maybe critique the merchandise. Then I saw the shelves of Juniper Ridge herbal body wash in a masculine bottle that reminded me of the Camp Suds I used on hiking and canoeing trips in Maine as a kid and it smelled like heaven. I figured I would just buy that. Then I saw the polo shirts from Velvet, a brand that I knew made über-​soft cotton tops for women but must have branched out to make menswear at some point. I handed a white one to the charming sales associate who had greeted us when we arrived, along with a pair of funky striped socks that were apparently made by a local designer.
And that is the story of how I purchased three out of four Father’s Day gifts for my dad in the middle of April.